Showing posts with label Australian Democrats. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Australian Democrats. Show all posts

Saturday 7 February 2009

B@stard Watch: old democrats neve die - they create a political blog!

It was sad to see the last of the Australian Democrats go from federal parliament in June, but they haven't gone too far from the public eye it seems.
This month the Demos created a blog called fittingly enough - B#stard Watch.
With the motto "B^stards never sleep and neither do we".
I wish them luck and hope that their new venture lives up to party expectations.
The new blog ran an Australia Day poll which gave Kevin Rudd a serve for not supporting gay marriage because he's a prudish b*stard.
In another post Peter Garret got it in the neck for being a whaling son without a father and for caving in to Gunns, while Mal Turnbull was done down for being an emissions trading foundling left on the steps of the local convent.
At this point I beg forgiveness for the convoluted phraseology, but there are only so many ways one can avoid the Internet filters when trying to type bastard person of uncertain parentage.

Sunday 3 August 2008

Liberty and Democracy: a rose by any other name is still a marginal political party

Last Friday the Australian Electoral Commission advertised the Liberty and Democracy Party's application for a name change to the Liberal Democratic Party, with the abbreviation Liberal Democrats (DLP). Objections to the change close on 1 September 2008.

This appears to be the party's second attempt to effect this name change.

Somehow the proposed new name doesn't quite match the party's eccentric website blurb.

The Government is comprised of politicians and public servants with no special insight or wisdom. Despite that, it constantly tells us what is best for us and how we should run our lives.

It tells us we should eat healthy foods, not smoke, wear a helmet when we ride a bicycle and not use marijuana. It tells us how to discipline our children, whether we can renovate our houses and who we are permitted to marry. It prevents us from owning a gun to protect our families in our own home and stops us from obtaining help to end our own lives even when we are in terminal pain. It forces us to vote even when we don't want to.

It ties up enterprising businesses in regulations and red tape that prevent them from investing, expanding and employing more people.

The LDP believes people should make their own choices and accept responsibility for the consequences. It believes governments have neither the expertise nor the right to tell people how to run their lives and should stick to things like protecting Australia from attack and safeguarding property rights. The LDP believes in legalising assisted suicide, the right of self defence and voluntary voting. It considers property owners (including hoteliers and restaurateurs), not the government, should decide whether smoking is allowed on their property and whether to remove trees on their land.

It believes the government has no business regulating victimless crimes such as adult consensual prostitution, adult pornography or risky behaviour that harms nobody else. It believes speed limits should be determined by what most motorists regard as safe, not what public servants deem to be acceptable.

Even when the choices that individuals make are unwise and could harm them, so long as nobody else is involuntarily adversely affected the LDP says, "It's your choice, not the government's."

Wonder what the response from the Liberals and Democrats will be this time around to an obvious attempt to bounce off two well-known political brands?

Tuesday 18 December 2007

Few noticed Andrew Bartlett's leaving as Senate forms a new face

In all the blather surrounding the Kyoto conference in Bali there has been little time to notice that the Australian Democrats federal leader and Queensland senator, Andrew Bartlett also lost his seat at the 24 November election and will no longer sit after 30 June 2008.
One of the saddest outcomes of this election has been the demise of the Democrats.
They will be sorely missed on Senate committees.
November 24 delivered us the same old two-horse race in the upper house, with minor parties and independents holding the balance of power.
A list of senators announced as elected so far (final AEC list should be out later today):
Nick Sherry (ALP)
Richard Colbeck (Lib)
Bob Brown (Greens)
Carol Brown (ALP)
David Bushby (Lib)
Catryna Bilyk (ALP)
Don Farrell (ALP)
Cory Bernardi (Lib)
Nick Xenophon (IND)
Penny Wong (ALP)
Simon Birmingham (Lib)
Sarah Hanson-Young (Greens)
Ian Douglas MacDonald (Lib)
John Joseph Hogg (ALP)
Sue Boyce (Lib)
Claire Moore (ALP)
Ron Boswell (Nationals)
Mark Furner (ALP)
Kate Lundy (ALP)
Gary Humphries (Lib)

Sunday 2 December 2007

Natasha has style

Democrats Senator Natasha Stott-Despoja sent out a press release shortly after Kevin Rudd announced his ministry, praising the inclusion of the highest number of women in senior Cabinet roles since Federation.
After watching her own party get decimated at the polls, she still looked to the positive for Australian society - now that's what I call grace and style.
Never heard a peep from the Liberal's new deputy leader, Julie Bishop.

Monday 26 November 2007

Sad to see you leave, come back soon

In the midst of celebrations over the demise of the Howard Government I'm a little sad to see the Australian Democrats on their way out the political backdoor.
It was always hard to keep faith with this party once Meg Lees had betrayed us all over the GST, but Natasha Stott-Despoja was worth hanging in there for, and her previously announced retirement meant that the Democrats has little left to offer during this last federal election campaign.